Punjab is the most prosperous STATE of Pakistan and experiencing rapid growth in human population and vehicular population. The purpose of IDAP is to develop seamless, efficient and high speed integrated transport.
Punjab saw a massive outbreak of Dengue fever in the year 2011 which would have been worse had the government not responded in a timely and aggressive manner. Since Pakistan has a tropical climate conductive to the rapid breeding of mosquitoes, Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Punjab, collaborated efforts with Government of Punjab to carry out a comprehensive program called “Epidemic Prevention Program” to not only prevent and control Dengue outbreaks, but also provide preventive and long-term strategies to combat this menace. Chief Minister Punjab and PDMA took aggressive steps to prevent the outspread of dengue throughout Punjab with special emphasis on Lahore, as it faced the gravest threat. An emergency was declared in all hospitals and PDMA Punjab provided 14 mobile hospitals to attend to the pouring dengue patients. Sprays to eradicate dengue mosquitoes was carried out on a massive scale and it was due to these efforts that contrary to the expected damages, as estimated by the World Health Organization’s (WHO) figure of 50 million global cases annually, Lahore was able to confine the casualties to 21,292 cases with 352 deaths. The success of the Lahore Model in controlling dengue led to an astounding fall in the spread of the disease in 2012, with only 255 reported cases and no casualties. The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Punjab, has also published a book on “Dengue, Prevention & Control, The Lahore Model of Success” to highlight the strategies and methodologies adopted by The Government of Punjab and PDMA to eradicate this epidemic. The publication of this book is another commendable effort by PDMA Punjab to creating mass awareness for precautionary and preventive measures against the outspread of dengue through the exemplary Lahore Model of saving precious lives.